U.S. patent application Publication Ser. No. 13/091,517, entitled FORNIX MANIPULATOR and filed on Apr. 21, 2011 ('517 application), shares a common inventor with the present application. The '517 application discloses a fornix manipulator including a collar and stabilizer to be attached to a uterine shaft. The fornix manipulator addresses several problems, including imprecise fornix delineation and deviation; vaginal shortening; abdominal deflation; blocked cervical access; unnecessary tissue damage from blind cervical retrieval, device insertion and retrieval, and lack of a platform for organ dissection.
U.S. patent application Publication Ser. No. 14/204,766, entitled UTERINE MANIPULATOR and filed on Mar. 11, 2014 ('766 application), shares a common inventor with the present application. The 766' addresses several problems and injuries may result when using conventional devices, known as uterine manipulators, to manipulate the fornix. These problems include imprecise fornix delineation and deviation; vaginal shortening; abdominal deflation and injury from blind cervical retrieval; device insertion and retrieval, and lack of a platform while dissecting vital organs away from the fornix and vaginal wall.